Htoo Trading, U Gambira, Su Su Nway and Hanny Oo

Htoo trading leaves Bogalay workers unpaid

Bogalay residents have complained that the Htoo trading company, which was engaged in redevelopment projects in the area, has pulled out after two months without paying local workers for their labour.

Htoo trading is owned by Tay Za, a Burmese tycoon with close links to the ruling junta. Residents said the company had stopped the project because it was not profitable.

“The Htoo trading used labour from daily paid workers in Bogalay to rebuild houses destroyed by the cyclone,” a resident said.

“But after two months, they decided the project was not going to make profit and they abandoned it without settling payments for the labour.”

The Bogalay resident said the workers had agreed a price for their labour at the outset of the project. “They owed some people up to about 4-500,000 kyat, it’s not a small amount of money,” he said.

Carpenters in our town worked for Htoo trading after agreeing a payment of around 5000 kyat a day and now they are waiting for them to come back.” Htoo trading used Bogalay workers to build houses in the Kyein Chaung Gyi village area, which were sold to locals for 1.5 million kyat to be paid in installments.

U Gambira raises monks’ issues with UN rights envoy

Aug 14, 2008 (DVB)

All-Burmese Monks’ Alliance leader U Gambira raised the issue of the imprisonment and disrobing of monks by the Burmese regime in a meeting with United Nations human rights rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana.

U Gambira’s sister Ma Khin Thu Htay said her brother had spent 20 minutes with the special rapporteur during his visit to Burma last week.

“He said the meeting took place at night time and they had a lot of privacy, but U Gambira didn’t get to tell him about all the important things, only general things such as about 200 monks being thrown into prison and then disrobed,” Khin Thu Htay said.

“He told Mr Quintana that he was being detained in prison without a court hearing or remand. He wanted to tell him a lot but there wasn’t much time,” she said.

“Mr Quintana promised him he would do his best.” U Gambira has been in detention in Insein prison since he was arrested by government authorities in Magwe division’s Sintgaing township on 4 November 2007 for his role in instigating public protests in September.

Suu Suu Nwe and Hanny Oo appear before court

Chiang Mai – A human rights activist under detention was produced before court yesterday, but family members are worried as they were not allowed to meet with her.

Suu Suu Nwe is in Insein prison and facing trial at Rangoon’s West District Court. It has been two weeks since family members were last permitted to meet with her.

“She appeared before the court yesterday and was again remanded. Only the lawyers were allowed to enter the courtroom. We’ve not met with her for two weeks. Why didn’t the authorities allow us to meet with her? There was no official announcement of such a ban. However, she is reportedly no longer being held in solitary confinement,” her elder sister Htay Htay Kyi said.

“We are worried about her health as she is suffering from a heart ailment. She will have anxiety when she is not allowed to meet with us. The authorities are giving trouble not only to prisoners but also to their family members,” she added.

Suu Suu Nwe, a member of the opposition party National League for Democracy, was banned from meeting with family members and receiving food parcels from the 2nd to 15th of last month for allegedly violating prison rules.

She was arrested on the 14th of November 2007 while hanging an anti-government banner in front of Mya Yeik Nyo Hotel in Rangoon. She was later charged under sections 143 and 147 (unlawful assembly), 505 (b) (inducing crime against public tranquility) and 124(a) (disaffection towards State) of the Criminal Code.

Yesterday the court also examined prosecution witnesses in another political case, that of Hanny Oo

The government has accused final year law student Hanny Oo (21) of being the mastermind behind a protest against a fuel price hike and subsequent rising commodity prices which was staged in front of Yuzana Plaza in Rangoon in September 2007.

She has been charged under sections 124 (a) (disaffection towards State), 505 (b) (inducing crime against public tranquility) and 143 and 145 (unlawful assembly) of the Criminal Code. Additionally she is confronted with a charge related to section 6 of the Registration of Organizations Act.

Family members of Hanny Oo said they felt very sorry when they heard a prison inmate was assaulted by prison authorities for her failure to tell Hanny Oo not to wear a black dress to court.

“Hanny Oo was not allowed to wear the black dress and ordered to change clothes. They again ordered her to change when her next dress included a bit of black yarn. Prison staff Tin Tin Maw then slapped an inmate who was guarding the door while Hanny Oo was changing dress for not telling her not to dress in black. She felt very sorry to see that. They impose restrictions even on dress. She feels this is an attempt by prison authorities to sow dissension among prison inmates,” commented one of her family members.

Hanny Oo was arrested by Military Affairs Security personnel and civilian security contingents while talking with four friends on the 9th of October 2007 at her home in South Okkalapa Township. She was accused of having met with All Burma Federation of Student Union (ABFSU) members.

Her case is scheduled to hold its next hearing on the 20th of August, while Suu Suu Nwe’s case has been remanded until a week later, on the 27th.

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